


The Transmission

by QueenCarol



Series: Fighting For The Moments [3]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Carzekiel, Episode Related, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-06 01:39:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16378949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenCarol/pseuds/QueenCarol
Summary: She could have died.  As much as she tells Ezekiel and Henry that she has everything under control, the fact is that she could have died.





	The Transmission

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
> 
> In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economical/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
> 
> No copyright infringement intended.

Jerry pulls her aside with a look on his face that tells her she will not be happy with whatever he has done.

She already has so many things to deal with that whatever he’s done will either make her really angry or it will turn out to be something non consequential. She’s really hoping it will be the later.

“What is it Jerry?” She asks once they’ve walked away from the main camp and can have some privacy.

“You have a call, boss lady.” He says as he offers her a walkie with a forced smile.

She narrows her eyes at him, which makes his expression fall, but takes the walkie. Something tells her she’s about to talk to a very panicked Ezekiel.

“What did you do?”

Jerry raises his hands in surrender. “Had to tell the King.”

Carol groans and closes her eyes. She can hear Jerry making a dash for it but doesn’t try to stop him. She raises the walkie and gives out the call sign before pressing the hard metal against her forehead.

“ _Mom_?!”

She pulls back from the walking in surprise. She expected Ezekiel, not Henry, and she certainly did not expected him to call her mom.

“Henry?”

“ _Are_ _you_ _alright_ _? I heard Jerry telling Dad that you’d been held at knife point.”_

She is going to murder Jerry. Well, maybe not murder, but she will surely give him a look next time she sees him, a look that will make him wish he had never told Ezekiel about her little midnight adventure.

“I’m fine.” She promises then releases the transmisor only to quickly add. “He never stood a chance.”

She wants to bring some levity to the situation but she’s met with silence on the other end. It worries her. Henry has already lost so many. She doesn’t want to add herself to the list of people he has to worry about.

“Henry?”

 _“Dad says we shouldn’t go.”_ Henry’s voice tells her just how much he wants to be at her side at the moment and it breaks and mends her heart at the same time. Her strong boy.

“Your dad is right. Everything is fine here.” She promises him once again, deciding to let slide the new names Henry is suddenly calling them. He is afraid, and vulnerable, and if he found she fit the name who is she to contradict him? “Most of the saviors have left. I’m not in danger and I wasn’t even harmed.”

 _“But you could have been.”_ Henry reminds her.

“I could have, but I wasn’t, because I was ready.” She assures him yet again.

 _“Okay._ ” She hears the defeat in his voice but feels pride at the fact that he is thinking as straight as he can without first reacting. “ _Dad wants to talk to you.”_

Carol groans because she knows she’s in for an ear chewing from Ezekiel. Still, it’s part of loving someone and worrying about someone and she knows that if they were to switch places she would want to make sure he is safe as well.

“Put him on.”

She waits for a moment in which she can almost imagine what’s going on at Kingdom. No doubt Henry was handing over the walkie, using that chance to ask yet again if they could go. She could almost see Ezekiel pulling Henry close, kissing the top of his head before reminding him that he has school tomorrow and training he cannot miss. She can almost see Henry stomping his way out of the room, shoulders slouched in defeat.

“ _Lady Carol_.” His voice is much softer than she expected it to be which throws her for a loop. She expected him to be well on his way to her, had almost anticipated and accepted that, but he always surprises her, keeping calm and keeping his distance because he knows she can deal with what this world throws at them. “ _I told Henry we mustn’t worry, that you have everything under control. He wouldn’t relent until he spoke to you._ ”

He’s trying to be brave, she can hear it in his voice.

“And I do.” She promises.

“ _But we worry for your well being. We do not want harm to reach you. If you need us we will gladly make the travel.”_

“No, no.” Carol interrupts his transmission. “I really am fine. He... he did hold me at knife point, he did say he was going to kill me, but nothing happened. I dealt with it. He knows not to cross me again.”

Silence greats her once more and she finds that her heart thunders in anticipation for his next words.

“ _My love, I cannot pretend that I don’t want to descend to the campsite and demolish this man in battle, but I trust your expertise and guidance and will remain at Kingdom, waiting for your leave to return to your side._ ” It still makes her weak in the knees to hear him call her by that pet name, but hearing that he trusts she has everything under control gives her a boost of confidence she didn’t know she needed.

“Thank you.”

“ _And I will keep an eye on our boy. I am far more afraid of what would transpire if you were to suddenly find him at the campsite._ ”

She can’t help but chuckle at his poor attempt at a joke. “You better be.”

“ _Promise me you’ll be careful.”_ She hears the waver in his voice and knows that he truly is worried for her well-being. She can’t help but fall even more in love with him.

“I promise.” She replies. “Promise you’ll look over our boy and not spend all your time worrying about me.”

She hears his laugh over the walkie which only serves to pull a smile from her.

 _“I will look over our boy, but I can make no promises about worrying, not until I can hold you again.”_ He admits.

“I miss you two. I miss you so much. Thank you for understanding that I had to stay. That I have things to work through.” Her voice is tender, loving, almost a whisper which makes her worry that her voice didn’t get picked up by the walkie.

 _“You wouldn’t be the woman I fell in love with if you didn’t.”_ Carol blushes at Ezekiel words even with the miles between them.

“The saviors... they’ve left... most of them have. Maybe I will be able to go home soon.”

“ _The Kingdom awaits your arrival with open arms, Lady Carol.”_

“Just the Kingdom? What about it’s King?” She can’t help but tease. She quickly looks around to make sure no one has caught her. _“Will he not wait for my arrival with open arms.”_

“ _That is a given.”_ He promises. “ _And with an open heart.”_

She wishes he was standing in front of her so that she could kiss him. Instead she is stuck talking to Ezekiel through a walkie. It’s not ideal, and definitively not what she would rather be doing, but they both understand that they had responsibilities. Neither hold that fact against the other.

“ _And don’t be too harsh on Jerry. He meant well in keeping me informed. It is not his fault both Henry and I panicked.”_

“I will try, but I can’t promise anything.”

“ _I must go now. Henry needs to practice and I promised I would spar with him. It will help him work through some of the anxiety he felt.”_

“Go.” She playfully orders him before adding. “And don’t worry about me. I am fine, I will be fine.”

“ _I can’t promise anything._ ” He echos her words. “ _Farewell, my love.”_

They both sign off though Carol remains in her place a little while longer.

She knows she’s not fighting just for herself this time; she’s fighting for Ezekiel and Henry, for the family they are forming, for all of Kingdom.

If she’s truthful with herself she has to admit that she was scared when he held the knife against her neck, when he continued pushing it against her skin. Everything was under control for now, as best as it could be, but it could have gone very differently. One slip and she could have ended up death, left Henry without a mother and Ezekiel without a life partner.

She can’t allow something like that to happen again.

She won’t.

With a new sense of purpose, Carol lowers the walkie and turns in the direction she saw Jerry leave. Her steps are strong and secure, guiding her towards what needs to be done.

She would give the remaining saviors a choice; stay and be a part of what they were building or leave and try to make it out there on their own. There was no in-between, not this time around.

“Jerry!” She exclaims once she finds him again. “Gather the saviors. We need to have a talk.”


End file.
